Few people did more to increase the influence of Hollywood on American fashion than Bernard Waldman, president and founder of the Modern Merchandising Bureau in New York, which functioned- as a clearinghouse for styles shown in the movies. The bureau provided retail shops with models of hats and dresses worn by the stars of current films. The business was much more complicated than it appeared at first glance. First the bureau had to study stills of coming attractions and figure out what was going to be popular. Then it arranged with the manufacturers to have the dresses made before the release of the picture. Finally it had to supply retail shops with advertising that mentioned movie from which the model was taken and the theater at which it was playing. Waldman received a 5 percent commission on all sales, and the studios traded cash payments...